Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs) are the basis for a new display and lighting technology, providing a good match for high resolution or high pixel count high definition display applications, and for efficient, broad area, flexible lighting applications. OLED devices include a thin film of electroluminescent organic material sandwiched between a cathode and an anode, with one or both of these electrodes being a transparent conductor. When a voltage is applied across the device, electrons and holes are injected from their respective electrodes and recombine in the electroluminescent organic material through the intermediate formation of emissive excitons.
In OLED devices, over 70% of the generated light is typically lost due to processes within the device structure. The trapping of light at the interfaces between the higher index organic and Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) layers and the lower index substrate layers is the major cause of this poor extraction efficiency. Only a relatively small amount of the emitted light emerges through the transparent electrode as “useful” light. The majority of the light undergoes internal reflections, which result in its being emitted from the edge of the device or trapped within the device and eventually being lost to absorption within the device after making repeated passes.
Efforts have been made to improve the internal quantum efficiency (number of photons generated per electron injected) of OLEDs by means such as modifying the charge injection or transport layers, using fluorescent dyes or phosphorescent materials, or by using multilayer structures (see, for example, K. Meerholz, Adv. Funct. Materials v. 11, no. 4, p 251 (2001)). Light extraction efficiency (number of photons emerging from the structure vs. the number generated internally) can be influenced by factors external to the emission layers themselves.
A bottom emitting OLED may be thought of as consisting of a core containing high index of refraction layers (organic layers for light generation, carrier transport, injection or blocking, and, typically, a transparent conductive oxide layer) and a low index of refraction substrate material (typically glass, but could be a polymer film). Therefore light that is generated within the core may encounter two high index to low index interfaces where it might undergo internal reflection. Light unable to escape the core as a result of encounter at the first interface is confined to a waveguide mode, while light passing through that interface but unable to escape from the substrate as a result of reflection at the substrate-to-air interface is confined to a substrate mode. Similar optical losses occur due to interfaces in top emitting OLEDs.
Various solutions have been proposed to affect light reaching the substrate-to-air interface by disturbing that interface (e.g., microlenses or roughened surfaces). Others have introduced scattering elements into the substrate or into an adhesive (see Published PCT Application No. WO2002037580A1 (Chou)), thereby interrupting the substrate modes to redirect that light out of the device. There have even been some preliminary attempts to disturb the core-to-substrate interface by introducing scattering or diffractive elements at this interface. Detailed analysis has shown that scattering or diffracting structures will be most effective in extraction light when located at this interface (M. Fujita, et al.; Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 44 (6A), pp. 3669-77 (2005)). Scattering efficiency is maximized when the index contrast between the scattering or diffractive elements and the backfill material is large and when the length scale of the index contrast variations is comparable to the wavelength of the light (see, for example, F. J. P. Schuurmans, et al.; Science 284 (5411), pp. 141-143 (1999)).
Fabrication of defect-free OLED devices in contact with this light extracting layer will require a smooth planar surface, so planarity of the top surface of a light extraction film is important. There has been, however, some work on corrugating the electrode structure in order to couple light out of the OLED (M. Fujita, et al.; Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 44 (6A), pp. 3669-77 (2005)); the resultant effects on the electric fields in the device are expected to have deleterious effects. So great care must be taken to not adversely affect the electrical operation of the device while disturbing this interface. Practical solutions to balancing these conflicting issues have not yet been proposed.
Similar problems in external efficiency exist with inorganic light-emitting diodes (LEDs), where the very high refractive indices of the active materials can severely limit the extraction of internally generated light. In these cases, there have been some attempts to utilize photonic crystal (PC) materials to improve the extraction efficiency (S. Fan, Phys. Rev. Letters v. 78, no. 17, p. 3294 (1997); H. Ichikawa, Appl. Phys. Letters V. 84, p. 457 (2004)). Similar reports on the use of PCs in connection with OLED efficiency improvement have begun to appear (M. Fujita, Appl. Phys. Letters v. 85, p. 5769 (2004); Y. Lee, Appl. Phys. Letters v. 82, p. 3779 (2003)), but previously reported results have involved time-consuming and costly procedures which do not lend themselves incorporation into existing OLED fabrication processes.
Accordingly, a need exists for a product which can enhance light extraction from OLED devices in a form which is compatible with fabrication processes for these devices.